Craft Focus - Feb/Mar (Issue 71)

Tell us a little about the history of Bothy Threads. I have always loved stitching, so when I ran out of kits to make I decided to design my own! That was over 25 years ago. Originally, we worked from a bothy – a rather cold, damp gardener’s cottage – hence the name. We started making freestyle embroidery based on the Bayeux tapestry and works by the old masters, but soon became inundated with requests for cross stitch. Today we have more than 700 products ranging from the funkier styles that Bothy Threads is known and loved for to scenic nature images by Derwentwater Designs. What are your most important collections? We mainly produce counted cross stitch kits based on artwork by leading artists from the UK and abroad. We also manufacture blackwork, long stitch and tapestry. We use a wide range of coloured Aida and more recently have launched spectacular new designs using exclusive full-colour printed Aida. What are your best-selling products? The Wrendale Designs collection is currently our best-selling line. Each image is available as cross stitch and more recently in tapestry form. Other particularly successful ranges include the Love series by Kim Anderson, Amanda Loverseed’s Cut Thru and Santoro’s Gorjuss. You work with a range of talented artists – what do you look for in a partnership? I am always on the lookout for interesting artwork that will translate successfully into cross stitch. Multi-media artwork like Kim Anderson’s often works well as I can use speciality threads and add extra embellishments to the finished cross stitch. We are always open to new artwork submissions. Who do you think your designs appeal to most? Now that we have such a large product range we try to cater for every taste, from long stitch and tapestry for the more traditional market to colourful modern kits loved by younger generations. What stitching trends do you expect in 2019? We always look forward to the new year and the stimulus of all the trade shows. We love visiting these events because we look for new artists and pick up trends for the year ahead. It is hard to predict what is going to be popular, and that’s why we try to release around 80 designs every year. This way we can see which styles are most popular and quickly develop these ranges. With a brand-new headquarters and a raft of fresh designs, 2019 is set to be an exciting year for Kate Hoyle and the Bothy Threads team A cottage industry 94 craft focus